Is deer antler considered a steroid?

Deer-antler spray became the hot topic of Super Bowl media day after Sports Illustrated dropped an article about Ray Lewis' alleged use of the substance to help heal his torn triceps.

Purported to contain IGF-1, a form of growth hormone that is on the NFL's banned substance list, the spray is unlikely to have contributed to Lewis' return, even if he did take it as alleged. 

IGF-1 (insulin growth factor-1) is a growth hormone that is produced in the human body and interacts with human growth hormone (HGH). It is naturally occurring, but it has been synthesized for use in medical cases where a person has a reduced amount of IGF-1. This condition, known as Laron dwarfism, is extremely rare.

The synthetic version of IGF-1, known as Increlex, is also used by anti-aging advocates, though the research on the substance for this use is mixed and not considered an on-label usage.

In sports and doping, IGF-1 started to see usage after HGH's popularity peaked. With the World Anti-Doping Agency and others working hard to test for HGH, which led to the introduction of a blood test in 2008, IGF-1 purported to give all the benefits without the detection.

There is still no test of any kind for IGF-1, though there have been hints of development activity. Like HGH, IGF-1 is expensive, easy to trace and requires careful handling. Along with dubious results, its usage has dwindled among doping advocates.

It's important to note that IGF-1 is related to a substance that is widely used and abused for anabolic purposes: insulin. The same drug that is used to make life possible for millions of diabetics is also a powerful anabolic agent.

It is cheap, easily accessible and, as with IGF-1, there is no test for the drug being used today. Because insulin is present in the body naturally, it would be very difficult to differentiate between natural and synthesized insulin. 

The deer-antler spray being sold by S.W.A.T.S. (Sports with Alternatives to Steroids), and Lewis allegedly used a product harvested from the antlers of New Zealand deer. Studies have shown that the IGF-1 produced in the fast-growing antlers of deer is not able to be effectively used by the human body.

In addition, IGF-1 is very unstable, requiring careful handling and refrigeration, something that a product from S.W.A.T.S. does not have. Further, studies also indicate that taking IGF-1, human or otherwise, is not effective. IGF-1 supplementation normally requires injection.

The S.W.A.T.S. site was down Wednesday, but in addition to the deer-antler spray, the company sold other dubious products.

It had deionized water, hologram stickers that were discussed in the SI article and, most disturbingly, a "concussion cap." Marketed specifically to the parents of children in youth sports, this cap was purported to prevent concussions by soaking it in a special solution. 

The deer-antler spray sold by S.W.A.T.S. was not manufactured by it. It's normal for a company to contract out the manufacture of this kind of supplement, so there are plenty of other sources still available. Worryingly, this type of procedure can lead to contamination, where other substances can be added, knowingly or unknowingly.

The SI article details how the deer-antler spray from S.W.A.T.S. had a form of anabolic steroid added to it, resulting in a positive test for an NFL player. A lawsuit resulted in a multimillion-dollar judgment against the owners of S.W.A.T.S. They stayed in business by using a new shell company.

The question remains why any athlete, let alone one with the reputation and resources of a Ray Lewis, would use a substance with such a dubious pedigree.

"Science doesn't move fast enough to supply the voracious demand," said David Epstein, the author of the article at SI and an expert on doping in sports.

"Most athletes don't have the background to evaluate these kinds of claims. Plus, by looking for the edge that competitors don't have, they necessarily end up on the fringes, as opposed to in the mainstream with products that have evidence behind them. The more competitive the athlete, the more likely they are to try things that no one knows much about." 

Lewis is alleged to have taken a substance of dubious efficacy from an even more dubious source. It's enough to remind us that maybe P.T. Barnum was right.

All quotes in this article were obtained by the author unless otherwise noted.

Will Carroll has been writing about sports injuries for 12 years. His work has appeared at SI.com, ESPN.com and Football Outsiders. He wrote "The Juice: The Real Story of Baseball's Drug Problems" in 2005. 

In recent years, deer antler supplements — more specifically, deer velvet extracts and powders — have been gaining popularity among bodybuilders and athletes looking to increase their strength and endurance.

Historically, they’ve been used to promote youthfulness, fertility, blood pressure, and more.

Though some of the research on these supplements is intriguing, minimal scientific evidence supports their ability to boost athletic performance in humans.

This article explains what deer antler supplements are, what they’re typically used for, and what science says about their health benefits and risks.

What is deer antler velvet?

Deer antler velvet is the soft, fuzzy, protective hair that covers the bone and cartilage of newly grown antlers that haven’t yet calcified, or hardened.

What makes deer antlers so special is that they’re among the fastest-growing bones of any animal. In fact, deer and elk shed and regrow their antlers every year (1,2,3,4).

This is likely why young deer antler velvet supplements are revered by many traditional medicine practices. For example, they’ve been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years (2,3,5,6).

How the supplements are made

To make antler velvet supplements, young, uncalcified deer or elk antlers are surgically removed.

The animals are put to sleep using anesthesia before the velvet antlers are cut off near the base. Then, the velvet is removed from the antler bone, dried, ground into a fine powder, and processed into its supplement form.

The powder is sometimes sold in bulk or capsule form. You can also find deer antler extracts and sprays, which are made by combining the powder with an extract solution.

Traditional uses and today’s health claims

Traditionally, deer antler velvet has been used to strengthen bones, improve immunity, and treat ailments including toothaches and tissue damage (2,7,8,9).

Today, a quick online search could easily result in a list of more than 30 conditions that the supplement is purported to treat.

For example, people commonly use it to improve strength, endurance, athletic performance, and repair injured muscles and tissues.

The supplement is also claimed to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, promote youthfulness, improve fertility, and more. Unfortunately, many of these touted benefits are poorly researched.

SUMMARY

Deer antler velvet is a protective, hair-like skin that covers newly grown deer antlers. It has been used in traditional medicine practices for thousands of years. Today, it’s often marketed to athletes for strength, endurance, and healing.

Nutrition

Deer antler velvet contains nutrients that could, in theory, have health benefits.

A sample of velvet antlers from the Formosan sambar deer, which are native to Taiwan, was found to contain multiple enzymes with antioxidant properties. These included superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) (10).

Plus, an older 2013 review found that deer antlers may boast some medicinal properties thanks to their content of amino acids and peptides. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, while peptides are chains of connected amino acids (11).

Newer research has also attributed deer antler velvet’s health benefits to its protein content (7,12,13).

Multiple recent test-tube studies also support the notion that protein peptides from antler velvet could have anti-inflammatory, immune-regulating, and heart-health-promoting properties (14,15,16,17).

Lastly, deer velvet contains organic molecules called nucleosides, which are the building blocks of DNA. These might be responsible for antler velvet’s touted anti-fatigue effects (18).

SUMMARY

Deer antler velvet is rich in bioactive compounds like antioxidants, proteins, polypeptides, nucleosides, and more. These are believed to be responsible for its medicinal properties.

Potential benefits

While deer antler velvet might contain beneficial nutrients and bioactive compounds, little research has investigated specific health benefits in humans.

The possible benefits researchers are currently investigating include:

• Bone and cartilage growth. Test-tube studies suggest that antler velvet could treat bone disease and cartilage damage. Plus, one animal study found that it increased femoral bone length and bone enzyme levels (19,20,21,22).
• Anti-fatigue and strengthening properties. Studies have tried giving mice antler velvet supplements. They found that the more nucleosides the supplements contain, the faster mice swam. This indicates improved strength and reduced fatigue (12,23).
• Osteoarthritis treatment. Deer antler velvet contains chondroitins, a component of cartilage, which might improve pain levels in people with osteoarthritis. What’s more, other compounds in antler velvet might strengthen bones (24,25,26).
• Anti-cancer properties. Multiple test-tube and mouse studies have observed that antler velvet supplements exhibit anti-tumor and anti-cancer activity (27,28,29,30).
• Hair growth and skin health. A few mouse, human, and test-tube studies have found that deer antler velvet supplements could stimulate skin and hair cells. Therefore, they could potentially improve hair growth and skin health (31,32,33).

Despite these promising findings, not enough high quality human studies have been conducted to support specific uses of deer antler velvet supplements in humans.

Is it good for bodybuilding?

One of the most cited claims about deer antler velvet is that it can boost your strength and endurance.

Unfortunately, these claims are based on one small 2003 study including 38 men.

The study found that those who took deer antler velvet powder for 10 weeks while participating in a concurrent strength program had a greater increase in knee strength and endurance than men who took a placebo (34).

Even the original researchers noted that further testing was necessary to confirm their observations. To date, no other studies have replicated the finding in humans, though a few have found similar effects on endurance in animals (12,23,34).

Ultimately, experts agree that there’s not enough sound evidence to support claims that deer antler velvet supplements improve athletic performance or weightlifting capabilities (35).

SUMMARY

Deer antler supplement labels often claim to improve athletic performance and strength, yet almost no research supports these uses. Scientists continue to investigate its use for other purposes, such as treating osteoarthritis and preventing fatigue.

Potential side effects and concerns

Currently, there are no known adverse side effects of taking deer antler velvet supplements.

However, it’s important to note that the supplements typically contain insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which has several known side effects. These include (35,36):

• headaches
• joint pain
• edema, or swelling
• low blood sugar levels

Furthermore, keep in mind that IGF-1 is banned by many sports leagues and athletic associations. Thus, if you’re an athlete, using these supplements could be prohibited.

What’s more, these supplements are poorly regulated. Thus, they could be mixed or contaminated with other compounds and substances that cause side effects in some individuals.

For example, some researchers worry that the supplements can be contaminated with harmful pathogens if the antler velvet was harvested from unhealthy animals (37,38,39).

Due to the lack of studies on the safety and efficacy of deer antler velvet, use extreme caution with the supplement. This holds particularly true if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, immunosuppressed, taking birth control, or on hormone replacement therapy.

Lastly, because deer antler velvet is surgically removed from live animals, some people have moral and ethical concerns about its use as a supplement.

SUMMARY

Though it appears that the side effects of deer antler supplements may be minimal, more research on their safety and effects on humans is warranted. Also, keep in mind that deer antler supplements are prohibited by many athletic associations.

How much to take

At this time, there are no official dosage recommendations for deer antler velvet supplements.

Still, most supplement manufacturers recommend a daily dose for their product — typically 500–1000 mg.

However, it’s best to consult a trusted healthcare provider before you start taking the supplement. They can help determine the right and safe amount for you, if any at all.

SUMMARY

If you decide to take deer antler supplements, review the manufacturer’s suggested dosage and consult your healthcare provider first.

The bottom line

Deer antler velvet supplements have been used for ages to support bone health and repair tissue damages.

Many test-tube and animal studies have investigated their potential medicinal qualities. However, little of that research has been translated into how safe or effective deer antler is for humans.

Therefore, it’s best to proceed with caution. Plus, remember that these supplements are prohibited by some athletic organizations.

Just one thing

Try this today: Did you know supplements aren’t the only way to build muscle? Take a look at our bodybuilding meal plan for suggestions on how to use a whole-foods diet for this purpose.

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